Bamboo Science And Technology

Bamboo is one of the most sustainable materials in nature due to its fast growth, rapid regeneration, outstanding mechanical properties, and applications in numerous industries. Latest technological advances have been allowing the plant to be studied and applied to exciting new projects. Being bamboo an icon of sustainable development, this book approaches the latest developments in the study of the plant, either as a natural resource or as a source of inspiration for more efficient designs. With the global urging demand for more sustainable practices, innovations in bamboo science and technology are key to the development of environmentally sound solutions.

Bamboo is one of the most sustainable materials in nature due to its fast growth, rapid regeneration, outstanding mechanical properties, and applications in numerous industries. Latest technological advances have been allowing the plant to be studied and applied to exciting new projects. Being bamboo an icon of sustainable development, this book approaches the latest developments in the study of the plant, either as a natural resource or as a source of inspiration for more efficient designs. With the global urging demand for more sustainable practices, innovations in bamboo science and technology are key to the development of environmentally sound solutions.

This book is intended for use both in the industry and the academia. It introduces the physical, chemical and the mechanical properties as well as the characterization of bamboo. Novel industrial applications in structural, non-structural, reinforcement, afforestation, land reclamation, environmental significance, textile, medical, geotechnical, hydraulic, food, pulp and the paper industries are addressed in detail. Bamboo has been used for centuries as a structural material as well as in diverse engineering applications, food and medicinal purposes, especially in Asia. As a natural fiber composite, bamboo has the potential for many developments in academic and industrial research. Current literature on composites tends to focus on bamboo as a plant or solely as a structural engineering material. This book seeks to bring together these two extremes and provides a holistic resource on the subject.

The idea of information on research and development carried out on bamboo has emerged with the paradigm shift in the area of utilization of natural fibres in various industries. Technological advancements in bamboo sustenance have involved chemical and physical modification that has led to products of high-performance index. This book provides the latest research developments in many aspects of bamboo process, manufacture and commercialization potential. Apart from the interest to facilitate a complete assessment of bamboo as well as assist readers in achieving their goals, this book is intended to be of value to both fundamental research and also to practicing scientists and will serve as a useful reference for researchers, agricultural practitioners and organizations involved in the bamboo-based industry.

Bamboo is a plant that occurs over much of the World. It is probable that billions of the World’s population see, eat and touch bamboo every day. Bamboo contributes significantly to the income generation of many poor farmers. Yet it is an “orphan” crop – largely ignored by the main landholding agencies – forestry and agriculture. This volume contains most of the papers presented at the joint Fifthth International Bamboo Congress and Sixth International Bamboo Workshop held in San José, Costa Rica, 1998, organized by the International Bamboo Association (IBA) and INBAR. The book is divided into four parts: Bamboo Resources and Socio-economics; Bamboo Propagation and Management; Bamboo Engineering and Construction; Bamboo Design and Utilization. The topics covered include varied aspects of bamboo, such as: from bamboo resources of Mexico to bamboos of Ethiopia; from bamboo afforestation of a mined area to bamboo as a food and fiber alternative in an island; from bamboo drippers to bamboo wheelchairs; from teaching architecture with bamboo to an international building code for bamboo; from silviculture of Guadua bamboo to flowering of Moso bamboo; and many more. This publication serves to highlight the usefulness of bamboo in aiding developing countries in their sustainable social, economic and environmental development.

This book is the first comprehensive compilation describing the botanical traits, genetic resources, whole genome sequencing, Mitochondrial genome, transcriptomes of different organs with developmental stages, transcription factors, delineating gene evolution of gene family in Bambusoideae, alternative splicing (AS) and polyadenylation, case studies for economically important traits such as internode length, shoot fast growing, flowering, ageing and stress-resistant genes and small RNAs-mediated gene regulation of moso bamboo flowering and other developmental stages. Applications of transcriptome and genome approaches in moso bamboo in general and the prospects of transgenic breeding and genome editing technologies in bamboo are also discussed. Altogether, the book comprises eleven chapters covered over 200 pages authored by the researchers involved in genomic science, molecular biology, and breeding. This book appeals to graduate students, post-graduate students, research scholars, researchers, and industry players in the field of plantation bamboo in general, bamboo processing and bamboo garden owner and fans of bamboo culture in particular.

Bamboo is in the spotlight as a potential building material in the current pursuit of a CO2-neutral society, due to its rapid maturation and excellent mechanical properties. Despite the growing interest in bamboo in academia and society, there is a lack of systematic understanding of the fabrication, design and construction processes using bamboo as a modern industrial material. This is the first book to describe a new category of structural systems constructed with engineered bamboo. It gives a definition of engineered bamboo (glubam) in an analogy with steel structures and wood structures. Structural systems and components have been designed using glubam; then industrialized production processes of glubam are described. Based on state-of-the-art research, design guidelines are suggested, in a comparable and parallel approach to the existing guidelines for composite wood structures. The book also discusses bamboo structures in the context of sustainable development, including the benefits of using bamboo as an alternative or replacement for wood, especially for developing countries, many of which are faced with the lack or destruction of forest resources.